After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Hao had been here for several days. After her careful probing, she had gained a basic understanding of the courtyard.

The two first-class maids were Fu Cui and Liu Dan. Fu Cui was steady and knowledgeable in medicine; Zhu Qing managed most of her affairs. Liu Dan was clever, popular, and had connections with the other maids in the mansion. Both were fifteen years old.

The four second-class maids and one servant boy were named Qing'er, Hong'er, Zi'er, Ju'er, and Zhu Jing, and they were all around 10 years old. She had successfully memorized everyone's faces, so there was no more misattribution.

Based on her current understanding, this world should not belong to any dynasty in Chinese history, because it has a name that Lin Hao has never heard of before—the Sheng Kingdom.

The current emperor, Sheng Qian, ascended the throne at the age of three, but the power of the court was always controlled by his maternal relatives. It was not until he married a daughter from a prominent family at the age of fifteen that he began to rule in his own right, and it took him more than ten years to completely eradicate the power of his maternal relatives.

But it seems that fate is determined to give this emperor more trials. In recent years, natural disasters have occurred one after another in various places, causing widespread panic among the people.

To maintain stability, the emperor dared not launch any major military campaigns, and his original plan to weaken the powerful families had to be shelved.

Lin Haoxiang, although she wasn't very good at history, knew that too much power from aristocratic families was not a good sign. It could lead to either a family plotting to usurp the throne or the emperor reducing their power, ultimately resulting in war.

In the end, it is the common people who suffer!

However, those were things far removed from her life, and she wasn't in the mood to think about them right now. Right now, she needed to address her own survival needs and secure her position with the Gu family.

That day, Lin Hao got up early, dressed, and headed towards the old lady's courtyard.

Now that she has fully recovered, she naturally wants to pay her respects to her mother-in-law and express her gratitude for her care and concern during her illness.

To be honest, even though she had mentally prepared herself all night, she was still very nervous. As for her mother-in-law, it has been said since ancient times that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies. Forgive her, as she has never been in a relationship and really has no experience.

Besides, she's an outsider, completely clueless, and who knows what might happen in a moment?

But there was no way to delay this matter. If she recovered and didn't pay her respects to her mother-in-law, she would likely be considered unfilial in this place, and she couldn't afford to do something reckless.

Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. No matter what's going on, as long as we're alive, there are other possibilities! Once we're dead, we have nothing left.

No matter how conflicted she was, she soon arrived at the old lady's courtyard—Rongshou Hall.

Lin Hao, supporting Fu Cui's hand, slowly walked through the hanging flower gate with covered corridors on both sides. They passed a large Suzhou embroidery screen displayed on a rosewood stand, embroidered with exquisite magpie perched on a branch. In later generations, it would definitely be worth a fortune!

After entering a small hall, the main courtyard was behind it.

The main building has three rooms at the front, simple and elegant. On both sides are covered corridors and side rooms, where a bright green cockatoo hangs, chirping "Good fortune, good fortune..." incessantly.

Upon reaching the top of the steps, before the maid could even lift the curtain, a young and charming female voice could be heard coming from inside the room.

"Grandma, I wonder how my sister-in-law is doing. It's no wonder our Yu-ge misses her so much; even I, as her sister-in-law, miss her terribly!"

Hearing this, Lin Hao paused slightly, thinking to herself: This doesn't sound like good news, the aroma of tea is so strong! Judging from the tone of her words, she must be the original owner's sister-in-law, it seems the relationship between these sisters-in-law isn't very harmonious!

He then composed himself and entered the house. At the head of the room, he saw an elderly woman dressed in fine clothes with a kind face talking to a young woman who looked to be about twenty years old.

Upon seeing her arrive, he stopped talking. Lin Hao quickly bowed and said, "Grandma, I've come to pay my respects. I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

"Get up quickly. You got sick because you were exhausted from taking care of Yu-ge'er. What's wrong with that?" the old lady said, feigning anger.

Knowing when to stop, Lin Hao decisively got up and sat down in the chair opposite the woman.

Just then, someone lifted the curtain and came in. Turning around, I saw a nanny holding a little dumpling that looked about two or three years old.

That little dumpling was so cute and adorable, with a chubby, pink face, bright, star-like eyes that blinked, and a little mouth that opened and closed, occasionally revealing pink gums and snow-white teeth.

In that instant, Lin Hao felt her heart had been struck. This was the baby of her dreams! All the other baby-themed shows she had watched before paled in comparison to this little dumpling!

She declared that this little dumpling was the best, and there would be no arguments!

Perhaps sensing Lin Hao's intense gaze, the little child turned around, and upon seeing Lin Hao, hurriedly twisted his body, reaching out his hands towards her with all his might, repeatedly calling out, "Mother, hug, Mother, hug me..."

The nanny holding him was so frightened that she forgot to bow and quickly put him in Lin Hao's arms, afraid that if she was a little slow, the little darling would fall.

After experiencing a series of complex emotions, including joy, astonishment, and panic, Lin Hao finally held the little boy in her arms. At that moment, she felt that her life was complete.

The little dumpling was not only chubby and pink, but also smelled delicious and was very chewy! If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, she really wanted to scream like a groundhog, what an amazing baby this is!

Little Baozi had no idea what Lin Hao was thinking. All he knew was that he hadn't seen his mother for a long time, and wondered if his mother didn't want him anymore!

Therefore, after a brief period of joy, he began his accusation: "Waaah... Waaah... Waaah... Mother... Mother... Don't... me... anymore... Waaah..."

In an instant, Lin Hao's heart clenched, and she quickly comforted her, "How could Mother not want you? Mother loves you the most and will never abandon you. Don't cry, okay? Crying will hurt your throat! Mother will always be with you from now on, okay?"

"Really... hiccup...?" the little dumpling asked, sobbing. "Of course, Mother promises! Lying is the act of a dog," Lin Hao replied.

“Okay, then… hiccup… pinky promise.” The little dumpling stretched out his little hand.

"Okay, pinky promise." Lin Hao put her hand and Xiao Baozi's hand together to complete the promise.

Seeing this, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. The old lady sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and the young woman, supporting her, exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, you really have a way with things! Yu-ge'er listens to you! Even the old lady has to defer to you in front of Yu-ge'er!"

Lin smiled but didn't say anything, focusing only on coaxing the little bun.

What should I say? It's just a little banter. She doesn't even know the situation yet. What if I say something wrong? The more I say, the more mistakes I make. Silence is golden!

She didn't believe the old lady wouldn't notice such obvious attempts to sow discord!